The Sun. — London, England, 1864-06-24 00:00:00

itiE CIVIL WAR AMERitiA, o (From the Tines Correspondent.) BALTTMOR.E, June 7. The remark© of a portion of the English press, which seem to admit that Gen. Grant has tithe' to had the advantage in the cempaign against Rich mond, have been received in this city with peat surprise. So far from having had the advantage, Grant in every movement he has made has been foiled, if not defeated. He has been forced to abandon every position he has assumed, and after a munth'e strategy and fully a fortnight of herd fight irg he has lost one way or another close upon 100,000 men in killed, wounded, missing, and Pri soners, end finds himself upon the Chickahominy, place which he could have reached without the loss of a battalion if either he or the authorities at Wash ington Lad not been so perverse as to reject that mode of approach to Richmond because it was the favourite route of Gen. M'Clelian. Having made a long detour from the North Anna he was confronted at his next halting place at Mechanicsville by the whole strength of the Confederate army. No thing daunted by his repeated and costly failures he essayed during a whole week to force that position ; but finding his supplies in danger of being out off, and having lost upwards of 7,500 men on Friday, the 3d inst., in one futile assault upon the enemy's works in front of him, he has once again found it necessary to change his plans, to abandon Cel,l Harbour and Mechanicsville, which he discovered to be as strongly fortified as any place with which his brave but luckless legions have come ineo contact; and to make a new and, it is to be supposed, a &al endeavour to reach Richmond by crossing the CnickahJminy below tiewbridge. Thi s was M'Ciellan's plan, and from all present appear ances a few days will show whether he can make more of it than his predecessor, Up t o thi s moment, however, he has gained nothing. He has exhibited a bulldog pertinacity. He has sacrificed his men. He has practically declared that heknows no such word as "Lil." He has been knocked down and got up ggaia. He has been repulsed and returned to the encounter. He has taken but slight heed of difficulties, and has exhibited a degree of courage which is the result eitner of heroism or of ignorance. Finally he has sat down to besiege a city which is strongly fortified in front and has all its communications open in the rear, which rear he =snot reach. Even tie New York papers, which are always shouting " victory' when there is no victory, begin to admit, with wry faces and the worst possible grace, that a siege thus begun may late - the whole bummer, and that before the summer is half over, the besieging army, settled in a swamp and sweltering in the rays of a Southern sun, are mach more likely to lose half their numbers by fever and dysentery than to produce the slightest effect - apon the courage or the resources of the besieged. The battle of Friday last, of which but very slight and cursory mention has been made by the Wer Department, but of which the full details have been communicated to the public by witnesses of and participators in its horrors, was precipitated by General Grant with the intention of making it the crisis of the campaign. The position assailed was supposed to be the key to Richmond, via the Chiekehominy ; but as on all previous occasions since the passage of the Rapidan, the Federal com mander found it impossible either to surprise or de feat his ever-vigilant opponent. In less than ten minutes the battle was ended. The Confederate shot poured through the masses of the Federals, cutting them down by hundreds at one diecharge— so thick were their advancing ranks; and in almost less time than it takes to write down the sentonee which records their braveryand their doom upwards of 6,000 men received their death wound and lay sprawling and helpless on the bloody field. Even the stoicism of Grant, though not outwardly moved, as far as the eyes of his watchful aides could dis cover, gave way. He ordered no renewal of the charge that had cost him eo many thousands, inclu sive of five generals and 20 colonels ; and after hasty consultation with Gen. Meade, and afterwards with Generals Hancock and Warren, appears to have made up his mind that he was not on the right road to Richmond,and that he had either to besiege it by regular process or find some other and more available route by which he could carry it by strategy or a coup de main. People who are ordinarily rapid for the prosecu tion of the war are becoming alarmed at Grant's contempt for human life. 113 values his legions no more than if they were coveys of partridges. Already it is whispered that nearly 1,100 officers are to be included in the 90,000 or 100,000 men who have been kilted, wounded, and taken prisoners since he began his sanguinary march. He is spoken of as the butcher," and a requisition is hinted at calling upon the President to remove him. Not only the friends of the &nth but multitudes of earnest Northern men have already cone to the conclusion that his campaign is a failure—that ho has done his utmost and can do no more, and that he has already done as little as 'Welt/llan at a cost ten times as fearful. To-day some English officers and news paper correspondents who arrived in this city from the front, report that the losses on Friday lest were nearer 15,000 than 7,4100; that on Saturday and Sunday 5,000 or 6,000 more were sacrificed to the obstinacy of the LeutenanteGeeeral, and that a spirit of disaffsc:ion has arisen in the army which threatens to become a mutiny, if the men continue to be driven like mac Lines against impregnable positions, without the slightest solicitude whether 10 or 10,000 Ayes are sacrificed in the attempt. Baltimore, aristocratic and fashionable, is so engrossed with the war news that it thinks and speaks of nothing but Grant and Lee. Baltimore, democratic and unfashionable, is, on the contrary, wholly absorbed by the proceedings of the Conven tion. The noble art of President-making seems in its initial stages to require a vast amount of music and oratory. As the witches could not transform the Thane of Glamis into the Theca of Cewdor and King of Scotland without much incantation and a musical accompaniment, so the delegates who have come hither to boil the Presidential caldron and threw their several weird ingredients into the m ass , cannot perform their allotted parts without the aid or fife and drum, the brass band and the tru lapgt. All day long and half the night, the delegations, who have th:termined to prolong the reign of Mr. Lincoln, live in an atmosphere of music. Under the balconies of the hotels, where they are lodged in batches—the representatives of each State keep together—some at Birnum's, some at the Eutaw house, some at Guy's, &c., the minstrels gather, to make the day unpleasant and the night hideous with ' Yankee Doodle," " Hail Columbia," " Star- spangled Banner," and " John Brown's Body Lies Mouldering in the Grave," varied occasionally with the more agreeable melodies of the " Trovatore" and the " Puritani." These musical performances are, however, but baits for speeches. The crowds that assemble under the windows listen patiently while the band plays, and when the musicians •have done shout for some member of the delegation to show himself. After short and coy delay he appears, and addresses his fellow-citizens with lend voice and violent gesticulation, It the speaker be from New York, Philadelphia, or Boston, or any civilised part of the Union, the speech is for the most part prac tical, thougn ornate, and dwells largely upon the necessity of recruiting the last man, spending the last dollar to crush the rebellion, and the equally urgent necessity of re - electing " the statesman, the patriot, and champion or liberty, Abraham Lin coin" for another term. If the Speaker be from the West—from Qiio, Indiana, Illinoi s , or Kqnsas, he is equally stong on the last man, th e l ust dollar, and the pen:jar fitneßq of Mr. Lincoln for his place, but far mow ,mphatic in his doinnciation of thorebels, and profuse in the empioynnntof such words as " hell," •' damnation," and the " devil." These and some kindred expressions seem to form the staple of Western oratory. " The rebels," said a Brigs. dier-General from Ohio last night to a crowd nnder the balcony of the Eutaw House, " have but two rights to which they can lay claim. The one is a Constitutional right, and tho other is a Divine right. They have a Constitutional right to be hung—they have a Divine right to be damned." Another Western orator at Barnum's declared that " Jeff Davis would be in hell in less than six weeks and that Abraham Lincoln was the noblest man that God had ever created." He was followed shortly afterwards by a very fluent speaker, who tt)11 . much lower ground, sad declared that " Lincoln w. - . 8 a common man, an ordinary man, a labouring man ; that a republican form of government required to other kind of man for a chief rn.gistratc, and that it was the glory of the country that any hewer of wood or drawer of water was fit to b. 3 » President." This kind of talk went on all day yesterday, con• tinned till midnight, and was resumed this morning, and will doubtless last out the day, until the Con. vention assembles for the first time for the transac tion of business. All these preliminaries are but interludes to pass the tima and to amuse the people. In the intervals the several delegations meet in secret to compare noses and draw up plans for the more im. ' portent procedure of the evening. In one thing on :v are the delegations from all the States . agreed, M be nominated for w hi c h is, that r. Lincoln shall President. Whom to place upon the same ticket for Vice-Presiders is as ;et undecid ed . Mr, Hamlin, the actual ' '..esident does not seem tc be a Lames of Governor A n d rew " favourite; and the a.' -nerly a tailor and knu - wn as the "ribb one d Johnson, of Tennessee, tor- • now a gentleman who is popularly ox," because ho is a renegade from 2_lle Democratic party, and declared, while he was yet tn.-6' to tha faith, that a renegade was like an ox in anc::" sacrifices—to be led to slaughter with a riband around:his neck, and who is also celebrated for being the most accomplished adept in the art of speaking Buncombe which the United States have produced, and Mr. Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, have been mentiohed for the post. The first point to be settled, however, is the chairman.. ship of the Convention, for which there will be a keen struggle, for the reason that any person who occupies such a position in a nominating Convention has a claim upon the President thereby elected for almost any office in the Government to which he may consider himself entitled. The two most pro minent, though not the most likely candidates, are Mr. Simon Cameron, of Pennsylvania, and Mr. Raymond, editor of the New York limes; the former of whom'is said to look upon the Secretary ship of State, and the latter upon the Embassy to Paris as his appropriate reward. Although the delegations are unanimous for Mr. Lincoln, they are dissatisfied with Mr. Lincoln's Administration, and are believed to have exacted a promise that he will make a clean sweep of all his Secretaries from Mr. Seward downwards, and appoint a totally new set of men if be be re-elected. It appears that Mr. Lincoln's friends were unne cesFltrity alarmed by the statement that a delegation of the supporters of General Fremont or Mr. Chase was in the city and had determined to meet 24 hours in advance of the regular Convention, and declare themselves in favour of the one term prin ciple. If any such meeting was held last night it was held in secret, and the secret has been welt kept. Nobody seems to have heard or to know anything about it. It is, clear, however, that the proceedings of the Cleveland Convention—tue ac ceptance of the nomination by General Fremont — and the bold denunciatory letter in which he declares that he will oppose Mr. Lincoln, but no other can didate of the Union party, have fallen like thunder claps from a blue eky among the place-holders, office seekers, contracors, and shoddyites, who form three-fourths, if not nine-tenths of the Lincoln de lagation. They fear that this great disruption of the Republican party—unaccompanied, and not likely to he accompanied, by any similar spirit in the Democratic ranks—will, in the event of General Grant's failure, or the prolongation for the next three mouths of his bloody and, as yet, bootless campaign, lead to the success of General M'Clellan. The friends of M'Clsllan are delighted. They have discovered in Fremont qualities which they never saw before. They admire his high principle, his stern opposition to illegality, his hatred of the Lin colnian despotism, and almost wish that he would ho one of them and come over to the camp of the " Copperheads." The Republican journals in the Lincoln interest either belabour him with hard but harmless words, or affect to pity him for the hope less shipwreck which they assert he has made both of his reputation and his chances. But the truth is, supposing always that Grant be removed from the arena by his non-success in the field, that the real struggle is more likely to be between Generals Fremont and M'Clellan than between Mr. Lincoln and any other candidate; and that if the contest be decided by popular vote, and not by a military coup detat, or the transference of the decision from the body of the people to the House of Representatives,—a contingency that may arise it no candidate out of the many has the abso lute majority of the whole number of voters—Mr. Lincoln's chances are the poorest of all. Of course this is not the opinion of the Baltimore Convention. They were sent to nominate Mr. Lincoln, and they I will nominate him at all hezards. JUNE 9. Contrary to expectation the chairmanship of the Convention has been settled without a struggle, neither of the favenrites, Cameron or Raymond, having manifested a desire to contest it. The pro vis:onal chairmanship was conferred on Dr. Brecken ridge, of Kentucky, an uncle of General Brecken ridge of the Confederate army, who made a very truculent speech, in which he asserted that the Liberties of the Ameriean people required a great deal of blood to consolidate them, and that the more that was shed the longer the Republic was likely to endure. The reverend gentleman, towever, did not say that he was prepared to offer up his own blood for the cause which he has at heart, which is perhaps a pity, if it is his intention to make any more such speeches as that with which he inaugu rated the proceedings of the Convention. The per manent chairman, elected by unanimous vote, was Mr. Denison, formerly Governor of Ohio, who en feted on his functions in a milder manner and spoke more like a man of business and less like a fiery zea lot than his temporary predecessor. The first busi ness was to decide upon the credentials of the several delegations ; and as Louisiana, Florida, Vir ginia, South Carolina, and even the outlying ter ritories of the Union in the Far West which have not yet arrived at the maturity of States were re presented, it became a matter of some interest to know how their pretensions would be received. Mr. Thaddeus Stevens, of Pennsylvania, who has no hope of restoring the Union, and insists upon treat ing the Confederacy as a-foreign nation with which the Republic is at war, objected to allow any dole gates from Southern States in partial occupation of the Federal armies to be admitted, declaring his opinion that any that recognition of their claim to seats in the Convention would be the establishment of a would be more injurious to the F fa e t d a e l r p a r l i o n a c u ip se le t , h atn the l oss of a pitched battle. After long and excited debate s it Was decided to admit the delegations, with the e xception of that from South Carolina, w hich was parti a l ly composed of negroes. high position assumed '- s upporters, who claim as good tte a r s ( a as w m h o it s e t forby Phist the h w e a b n s u e g l a k r d o o e f t s h c 3 a e l n t r .1. he Lincoln's ioinsmc always l l t ne the y 8 man, and sometimes a great deal people would admit if they saw M r . point di s Frederick Douglas and Senator Lane, of Kansaaiand knotty together heard them make speeches). This posed of, in a m a nner which can scarcely m eet t h e approbation of M r . W e ndell Phillips, Mr. Ward Beecher, the strong-minded women, and th e Churches, a new difficulty arose as to the admissio n of a second and anti-Lincoln deputation from Mis souri. Angry debates took place on thesuhject,butas the deputation was the only dissentient, and its ad mission could have no effect upon the final decision, it was admitted under protest. It registered 22 votes for Gen. Grant, but afterwards supported the nom.- nation of Mr. Lincoln, which was thus made unani mous. Mr, llemlin was somewhat contemptuously set aside as Vice-President, and Governor Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee, aimed in his stead, also by a unanimous vote. With the adoption of a "platform,'' or series of resolutions, the proceeding terminated. Nothing further remained but to hold the ratifi cation meeting in the open square in the evening. The people of Baltimore were invited to attend —about 4bo people—mostly soldiers, car-drivers, labourers, and negroes; and the floating population of the town obeyed the summons, but there was not even a sprinkling of the trading, professional, and wealthy classes to bear them company. A transpa rency was exhibited at the place of meeting, setting forth that " the heel Of the old flag would bruise the THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY F,'VENING-, JUNE 24, 1864. rattlesnake's head," and a string of violent spteches, of the true Western style and brimful of words that are not ordinarily racwioned to ears polite, were made to •the crowd. The proceedings lasted from 8 o'clock till half past 11, when the Baltimore Con vention became a thing of the past. The inhabi tants declare that it was the tamest and most spirit less convention ever held in the city. This morn ing the streets have resumed their normal appear ance, the delegates have departed, the bands are silent, the voice of Buncombe is heard no more in the land, and once again the attention of everybody who has a thought to spare from business is directed to the battle-fields of Virginia, and to the great events that are there to be decided—events that may make an end of Mr. Lincoln as a public man, end render his convention as idle as the silliest speech that was made in it. THE ROYAL SOVEREIGN. This vessel made her official trial of speed and power of circling with full and reduced steam pressure yesterday, at the trial ground in Stokes Bay, near Portsmouth, under the pers,l7sl superintendence of Rear-Admiral R. S. Robinson, Controller u.'t he Nail, and by the success which attended a er Pr al e d ee m di o n si form.- elly effective in the s en se o t hne another the public may be fairly congratulated gable craft having been added to our list of effectiv e i ronc l a d s, ree. - that at 24 hours' n o ti ce s h e coul d j o i n the _ Channel an 4 ' - Baltic. acc enpany it if necessary for active service in tut. •• We nett it preface our account of yesterday's trial wires brief description of the ship and her present appearance, for the Royal Sovereign as now completed is a different vessel in many respects from what she was intended to be at the first commencement of the work of her conversion. This is but a natural result following upon the execution of so novel a work, where every one engaged was very possibly feeling his way, and improving upon the details as the ship grew into her new form. The time occupied in the conversion has undoubtedly been long, and the cost has also undoubtedly been great, yet every one who may go over the ship will be compelled to admit that the result is satisfactory, and that the Royal Sovereign has an appearance of efficiency about her that very few anticipated, and is far more sightly to the eye when seen clear from other surrounding objects on the water than could have been expected. Yesterday, on getting clear of the harbour and reaching the open water at Spit head, she looked with her bulwarks up and short masts just capping the funnel like some gigantic gunboat under jury rig. With her bulwarks down she presents the now well known Monitor tyke of form, her turrets showing out more distinctly in their positions along the ridge of the curved deck. Much of her raft like appearance which she possessed a few months back has been taken away by a light iron bul • wark 3fc Gin in depth, which has been fitted round her upper deck, and which throws down outwards on hinged stan chions. The three short signal or drying poles with which she has been fitted also tend to improve her appearance, but they would have done so far more effectively had they been of greater length. Stepping on to the Royal Sovereign's upper deck we at once see its curved or " turtle-backed" shape, and along the crest of this curve stand the four tur rets and pilothouse, funnel and casing, hatchways, masts (if such puny sticks may be so termed), ventilating shafts, ske Round the stern are carved the Royal arms in bold re lief, and surmounting the stemnead is the figurehead of the ship, a weli-executed crowned lion, 5 ft Gin in length by 4tt in height, with bristling mane and half-lifted paw. Ex cepting the figura of the Lon, everything above the deck is painted white. The foremost turret, standing 51t abovr the deck, has its top covered by a grating, and is surrounded by a handrail, and thus afferda a deck premenade for the,officer of the watch or look-out man, and communicates with a further space available for the same purpose en the top of the pilot-house, which stands next to it s and on the top of the runnel casing. The three single gun-tueeets are Oft 3M above the deck, and have a double line of rails `29 inches in depth round their tops to stow the men's hammocks in, and which will thus form capital rifle pits. The tops of the tur rets are closed by heavy angle iron and inch-plating with the necessary man and ventilating holes. All other aper tures which open down below from the upper deck are closed by wrought iron bars 41in by I lin, placed in massive wrought iron framing edgewise 41in apart, and thus prevent the entrance of shell or shot by those passages to the 'tween decks. The carved upper deck of the vessel appears at first sight to be dangerously " soft." when looked at in close proximity to the massive armour of the sides and turrets, nothing being visible but wooden planking. In truth, how ever, this deck is not quite so vulnerable as it appears to be. The wooden planking, Gin in thickness, is laid upon iron plates lin in thickness, the latter having all their butts and sides riveted together with wide straps of iron of the same thickness, and furl her strengthened by stringer-lines of inch plating running fore and aft and round the hatchways and funnel casing. This combined iron and wooden deck is laid upon rolled iron beams and the original wooden beam. of the ship, which are fixed so closely together that even if a shot or shell penetrated through both iron and wooden deck it would be difficult for it to forco a further passage through to the deck below. The probable influx of water had also to be provided against, for with her bulwarks down and heavy guns at work iu the Channel, with a bretze on, there is no doubt a considerable quantity of water might wash over the deck. To meet this contingency thereture stout leather flaps, metal-weighted at their outer edges, are fixed round the turrets, and effectually closa the open space in the deck against the admission of any great quantity of water. Iron coamings nearly three feet in depth are fitted to all the hatchways, &c., for the same purpose. The pilot house is an oval structure, plated with 51 inch armour, and stands between the foremost turret and tunnel casing. In side it affords to the captain and master, or other officer, a perfectly secure means of observation in every direction, and a means of communication with the engine room, tur rets, and all parts of the ship, either by ordinary sh p's telegraph or voice tube, while right underneath and in sight of those in the pilot-house is fixed the wheel for steering the ship. The two chief boats are carried on crutches amid ships between the centre turrets. 'We heve so recently Igiven detailed descriptions of the Royal Sovereign's fitting a a turret ship and her conversion from a three-decker that will be only necessary on the present occasion to further refer generally to the subject, and enter again into any de tails only sufficient to doscribe the actual differences existing between our t 7gperimental turret ship and those which are in the posseesion f other powers, from the greater number differs either in form of hull, nature of which she mat e ri a li; fleting of her turrets, &c. As of armour disposition, a n d • a cut-down three-decker she differs from all others of her class—in her form o f h u ll b e l ow t h e water-line, where she carries the original three-decker or V for. v4 of bottom,in creased in its displacement som e n i ne f eet dow -"r"* f rom he water-line by the lower tier of armour plates .‘ll' A strengthening backing, outside the ship's hull proper a.. " — supporting shelf, to the plates' lower edge, of a double thick ness of 41 inch teak planking, laid on diagonally, She differ s trout most others in her turrets revolving by four different appliances of power, by hand—by rack and pinion inside the turret; do. outside and a fixture on lower deck ; tackles , and handspikes shipped al,d manned like capstan bars, in lieu of one method only —by steam. In her armour she also differs from all the American vessels of the same descrip ion, from the 15 Russian Monitors now afloat in the Baltic, and from several built by other Powers, in its being composed of solid forgings, or, more correctly speaking, of solid rolled phtting,instead of a number of inch or inch-and-halt plates bolted together, as is the case with the American and Russian Monitors in part cular. Both Americans and Russians, however, admit that solid masses of metal are preferable for protective armour, whether for ships or forts, to the same or even a much greater weight of iron divided into inch thicknesses and bolted together by in numerable bolts; but they point to the necessity which existed in their case for the speedy creation of their Monitors, in the one cas3 for the capture of Charleston and other ports in the possession of the American Confederate States, and in the other for the protection of Cronstadt and Sweaborg. It is in the disposition of her turrets, however, that the Royal Sovereign differs most from tha American Monitors, and, as the commanders of the latter vessels have found it necessary to "assign reasons for their failing to capture Chareleton" in their combined attack upon that place, a comparison of the turrets on board the Royal So.. vereign and those of the American vessels cannot fail to be otherwise than interesting at a time when our first turret ship has made, under official supervision, her maiden essay under steam. We propose to pursue this comparison under four heads only :-1. Exposed height of turret above the deck. 2. Turret's support at base whea revolving or _ _ repelling shock when struck by shot. 3. Jamming of stoppers or mantelets. 4. Disabling of gun•carriages. The American Monitors' turrets are 9 feet in height above the upper deck, on which, indeed their base rests on a brass ring. When thus resting on the upper deck it has no means of revolving, so that when the iurret is prepared for action it has to be lifted from off the deck by a screw wedge driven into the base of a spindle upon the deck below (and which spindle bears the same relation to the turret . as does the spindle of an ordinary ship' s ca p s t an ), an d th en is revolved, res ti ng u p on thi s s i ng l e centra l sp i n dl e b y gear wheels driven by s t eam , th e w h o l e we i g ht o f t h e turret being a b ove th e p l ane o f th e d ec k expose d to the enemy's fire, and the tur re t its e lf f ur th er ca pp e d b y th e "Pilot house —another mass of laminated iron, making the whole structure, which is dependent for its free movement, and consequent efficiency, upon the continued perfect per pendicularity of the iron spindle in its centre, 13ft 6in in height. Contrast this with the Royal Sovereign's turrets. All four of her turrets have their base and working portion resting upon the lower and not the upper deck, as with the American and thus, instead of exposing a height of 13ft Gin to an enemy's shot, they only show—in the foremost or double .gun turret, sft above the deck—in the three after or s i ng le -gun turrets, 4ft 3in above the deck. In the support given to the turrets at their base when in acti.n there is also a remarkable difference. The American turret depends solely upon the perfect perpendicularity of its central spindle,like the peg of a boy's top when spinning. The Royal Sovereign's, on the contrary, distribute their weight over a large space. The table upon which the turret stands is pivoted in its centre upon a wrought-iron cylinder, u large for a man to pass through,while the wei g ht iss a ffi y i s c t i r e i n b t u l ted on bevilled wheels over a metal roadway equal ling the turret's circumference in a manner very similar to the reeciiinery c! a railvva e turnteule, Hera it will bo seen at once is a no:a-exposure of surfac e t o s h ot an d a support and distribution of weight which th e A mer i can Monitors do not possese—on the contrary, they p ossess it s wea k est opposites. In the American Monit ors t h e port stoppers (to protect the crew when loading the gun) are o f i ron , an d swing upon an iron pivot. In the Royal Sovereign they are massive rope mantelets (after the fashion taught us by the Russians at Sebastopol), with cable grummets worked sailor-fashion round the gun inside the port, sufficiently strong to keep any rifle ball or ep inters from large pro jectiles or shells from entering the port. In the American vessels the guns have no breeching, but trust entirely to a powerful compressor. The Royal Sovereign's gun carriages, on the contrary, have not only powerful com pressors, but they have, as all guns at sea should have, good breechinga, with carriages working on in clined planes with great friction. To make this part of our report as clear as possible to the general reader we will here describe the interior of the turrets, the monster guns with which they are armed, and the appliances for working them. The ship's armament consists of five guns, generally known as the let .ton gun, or 3 0 0-pounder. The gun's diameter of bore is 10i in, and had they been rifled they would have been 300-pounders, but as they have nut been rifled they can only throw 1591 b spherical shot, with a 40Ib charge of pow der. What the effect of the Royal Sovereign's concentrated five guns' delivery of steel shot, fired with 01b charges, upon the side of an opposing ironclad would be may be pretty fairly estimated by the fate of the L or d W ar d en t arge t i n the recent experime4tal firing a t Sh oe b urynese. T wo guns are mounted in the foremost turret, and one in each of the other three turrets. From the plane of the table on which the gams and their carriages rest, the timers have each a clear interior height of Ott, and are sufficiently spacious for - Yaw to move about in and work the guns, In the fore the so •e men will be stationed when the guns are most tu:PL " • manned—that la, s i x men to each gun, with a captain grdi osee three single gun turrets 9 men w e i c l t l ber o the turret. stationed —eight men to wotii 4e &t n and the cap rrt. tain of turret. In the -loyal Sovereign the Old title of " cap tain of the gun'' is superseded by "Captain of the turret," for the guns are not sighted, nor are they trained upon an object, properly speaking; for the sighs are fixed upon the top of the turret, and the turret itself by its revolving is trained upon the object, and hence the new nesignation, " captain of the turret." The guns work on a massive plat form, having an incline of 4 degrees, thus greatly checking the recoil, which is about 6 ft, and on reaching which the gun is held there by a powerful pant to enable the crew to re-load it, for which purpose there is ample room between the muzzle of the gun and the turret's port. The shot is whipped up from the deck below by an ingenious contri vance and carried in a shot beater to the gun's mouth, where all the loaders have to do is to force it down upon the charge. When the gun is loaded, one man releases it from the paul and runs it out on the inchnect plane. The captain then gives the directions for training the turret, and for elevating or depressing the guns preparatory to firing. Two men elevate and depress each of these heavy pieces without having to go in the rear or behind the gun or car riage. Two of the guns are fitted with the means of eleva tion and depression on Lieutenant Roche's principle, and the remaining three on what is termed the Ordnance plan, which, however, it is only just to say is simply a modifica tion of Lieutenant Roche's plan. The guns with their carriages and the turrets in which they are mounted appear to have been rendered as complete as possible in all details, even the men's cutlasses and revolvers, with the spare gun brecchings and other gear, being all stowed away and to hand in the interstices of the turret : but to the turrets and their guns we intend to refer at much greater length when they have gone through the trial it is intended to subject them to, when the guns will be fired under similar con ditions to what must occur during an actual engagement either with a ship or fort. In the official reports made by the commanders of the American turret vessels in defence of their failing in their attacks upon Charleston, we find the cause of their failure clearly stated to arise from circumstances which could not occur on board the Royal Sovereign. Thus the Passaic's turret was jammed by a broken portion of the brass ring at its base. The Nantucket's turret was jammed by nuts and boltheads falling under the base, The Weehawken's turret revolved with difficulty owing to a shot having struck the pilot-house on its top and bent the central spindle ; the Nahant's turret refused to turn and became jammed from the effects of two blows from shot about the composition ring at the base of the pilot house. The Nantucket's gun was rendered useless by the jamming of her port -stopper by a shot indentation, and on another occasion her llin gun was disabled from the carriage not having been properly compressed, Now, if reference is made to our description of the Royal Sove reign's turrets, it wilt be seen that no shot can strike their base as with the Passaic; that no boltheads or nuts could s:op their revolving as with the Nantucket, nor could any number of blows on the pilot-house affect the turrets in any way as with the Weehawken, from the fact of the Royal Sovereign's pilot-house being an independent structure— nor would her ports become blocked up by the jamming of iron port-stoppers, because the mare sensible plan of rope mantelets has been adopted in her case—nor could her gun carriages become disabled owing to the serious fault of hav ing only cue means of control over their movement. We think the comparison has thus been pursued sufficiently far to make clear the main differences existing between our turret ship Royal Sovereign and the turret ships belonging to foreign Powers, and also the vast superiority, excepting in her draught of water, of our own turret ship over the laminated armour turret vessels of the American and Rus sian navies, and we Phan now proceed to narrate the events of yesterday's trial, premising that the Royal Sovereign now figures in the fatal Navy List as an iron cased cupola ship of 3,933 tons, driven by engines of 830 horse power (by Maudslay, Sons, and Field;, driving a common two-bladed screw of 18tt diameter, and her length is 250 ft, and her ex treme breadth 63ft. The Controller of the Navy arrived at Portsmouth by the first train from London yesterday morning, and immediately proceeded to the dock yard and on board the Royal Sovereign —which was lying with steam up in readiness. Admiral Sir Michael Seymour, G.C.8., (Port Admiral and Naval Commander-in-Chief) , Rear Admiral George Elliot (Super intendent of Portswou'h Dockyard), and Rear Admiral S. C. Dacres, C. 8., accompanied Rear Admiral Robinson on board the ship, where a large number of other naval officers were assembled to witness the trial, including Captain Hall, R.N., private seem: ary to the Duke of Somerset ; Captain Sherard Osborn, C. 8., the future captain of the ship; Captains A. A. Cochrane, C,8., G. P. Huruby. C.B , A. Phillimore Preedy, C.B , and H. Wills, of the Channel fleet ; J. B. Dickson, of the Irresistible, screw liner; Com mander Simpson of the Victoria and Albert R eyal yacht, and others. Mr. Evans, from the Hydrographer's Depart ment at the Admiralty, Was also present, regarding the ship's compasses. Captain 11. Caldwell, C. 8., commending her Majesty's ship Asia and the steam reserve, at Poi ts• mouth, was in command, and conducted the day's trials. The Royal Sovereign steamed out of harbour for Spithead 'mraeeils,tely Admiral Robinson came on board, her draught • -sr being 2/ft 2in forward, and 24. t 10in aft, her top - -41suring her iron bulwarks, but from the top dating to the water-line) being lit 6in Her engines were kept at slow nut through her runs at the ' , oiler power. At full minute, and the 'er hour. 49,4 of \vat., sides (not ru of her side armou, out of water amidship,. steam was put on and the ship mraeured mile with full and halt : power the engines made 52 revolutions pea true mean speed of four runs was 11 . 006 knots 1 . At half power two runs were made, the engines giving -. revolutions, the mean speed being B'l7l knots. In the most successful trial the ship made as an unmasted three-decker just fitted with her new machinery she realised with full boiler power a speed of 12.252 knots, but it was a calm, and her draught of water was only 18ft Sin forward and 2lft 9in aft. This gives an increcsed immersion of the ship yester teriay of fully 31t, and the ship had also to contend against a strong westerly breeze, whereas on her three—lecker trial it was a calm. Allowing, therefore, for the ship's increased immersion, and the difference in the weather, the difference in the ship's speed is satisfactorily accounted for, although an additional half knot might have been attained, but for the defective draught in the fires, which only admitted of an average pressure of 171 b of steam being obtained instead of full 201 b. This , :efect will, however, be at once remedied by lengthening the tunnel Lft. the ship has been cut down, and the funnel has also been cut down until it has a preposterously short length from its top to the to p of the fire•gate. It is a m a tt er eas ily re medied, and the ship will then obtain abundance of steam from the boilers for the service of her engines. The ship was nest tested in making circles, to ascertain her turning powers, with full and half boiler power, with results as follows : Full-power.---To port, with ordinary wheel on deck.— Helm got up in 1 rain, to an angle of rudder of 161 deg. The half circle m a d e i n 3 m i n 21 sec, and the full circle in 6 min 35 sec. R evo l u ti ons o f e ngines 5 2 to 49 . To star board—Helm got up in 50 s ec , w ith a n angle of rudder 201 deg. The half circl e ma d e i n 3 m i n 30 sec and the full circle in 6 min 51 sec. Revoluti o ns of engines as before. Half-power, with ordinary wheel on deck—To starboard —Helm got up in 1 min 30 sec, with the rudder to an. angle of 24 deg. The half circle made in 4 ruin 9 sec, and the full circle in 7 min 31 sec. Revolutions of engines 38 to 36. Half-power, with pilot-house wheel, which is fitted with multiplying power—To port—Helm up in 1 min 30 sec, with the rudder at an angle of 401 deg. The half circle made in 3 win 8 sec, and full circle in 6 min 4 sec. To starboard — Helm up in 1 min 10 see, with the rudder at an angle of 39 deg. The half circle made in 3 min 16 rec, and the full circle in 6 min 34 sec. The revolutions of the engines were in both instances from 38 to 26. There is a remarkable dif ference shown here in the angles of the rudder obtained with the two wheels, being no less than 401 deg by the pilot house wheal against 161 deg obtained by the ordinary wheel on deik. The diameter of the circle made by the ship wa s much less with the pilot-house wheel in use than it was with the deck-wheel in use. The temperatures were—during the first run at the mea. sured mile—on deck 61 deg ; engine room, forward, 66 deg, aft, 67 deg; stokehole, fore part, 108 deg., middle, 102 deg, after part, 72 deg; 4th run at the measured mile—on deck, 66 deg, engine room, forward, 68 deg, after part, 72 deg. Stoke hole, fore part, 108 deg, middle 112 deg, after part, 81 deg. This concluded the trial of the ship at the measured mile, when, in consequence of the lateness of the tide, she was steered back into Portsmouth harbour, and moored in her old position alongside the dockyard, which she will most probably leave again to-clay to test the workin,i: of I her anchors and chains. Tha most interesting portion of her trials, however, will be her run outside the Isla of Wight, anti the firing of 6her guns in different positions, and there is every reason to believe this trial will prove to be quite as satisfactory as the speed trial of yesterday. The ship was very steady, and very little movement of any kind was felt when racing over the course at the mile, except a slight lateral movement in her turrets. Any recurrence of a sin ilar accident to that which occurred on her late prelims minary trial trip has been provided against as far as possible by fitting expansion joints, &c., to her stop-valve boxes, but the real value of these remedial measures can only be tested in moderately rough weather off the Wight. The ventila tion of the mess and berthing deck of the ship yester4y appeared to be perfect, and there was also plenty of light. The officers' cabins are unusually lofty (gained from the arched deck), and they also have abundance of light. The ship's framing is ventilated on the plan of Staff-Surgeon Edmonds of her Majesty's ship Victory, and on measuring yesterday the strength of the current of air that was passing up from the vessel's hold and bilges by the air shafting into the ship's funnel it was found to be moving at the rate of 31ft per second, equal to 225,000 cubic feet per hour. During the time the ship was making her full boiler power runs at the mile Admiral Robinson, with Acmirals Sir M. Seymour, Elliot, and Dacres, entered the third turret and examined its sights for training and its general fittings, together with the 150-pounder gun and its system of elevatix, and depression—the different points of interest being pointed out and explained by Captain Cowper P. Coles, R.N. It is a remarkable fact that these monster guns of the Royal Sovereign attain an amount of elevation such as can be given to no other covered gun in the navy-18 deg, The Royal Sovereign has so far, ae we said at the com. monoemebt of this report, proved a great success. She is without doubt the most formidable bonded afloat, provided she has water of sufficient depth to manoeuvre in, and we think the country may rest satisfied that, under the com mend of so distinguished an officer as Captain Sherard Os born, if she should ever be brought under fire, she will do hollow to the British tiiK, Naval and Military Intelligence. M. de Qaciade, Danish Plenipotentiary in Lou don, and two attaches of the Legation, yesterday went over the departments of Woolwich Arsenal. Their visit to the establishment had been announced and was expected to take place on Monday last by a special memorandum from the War-ciffice, in which the heads of departments were requested to afford them the facilities necessary for their inspec tion. The principal object of their visit yesterday appeared to be to inspect the laboratory, shell, and shot foundry, and the Armstrong gun factory. To heir inspection of the latter department they de voted nearly two hours. The Transit, chartered transport, from Corfu, hav ing discharged her cargo of returned military stores, yesterday hauled uff the pier at Woolwich arsenal. Her Majesty's ironcased ship Prince A►bert, re cently launched at Mill wall has been received into the basin at Woolwich, to be fitted with Captain Coles's three cupola batteries, which have been built up by the shipwrights at Woolwich during the constructio❑ of the ship in the builder's yard, and are now ready for disposal. Her Majesty's screw sloop Racer was yesterday commissioned at Woolwich by Commas der Saurez, for, it is stated, the West Coast of Africa. Mr. G. W. Muir, who recently paid off the paddlewheel sloop Ardent at Woolwich, from the south-east coast of America, when he obtained his promotion. has been appointed Paymaster to the Racer. The Torch, 5 screw gunboat, havirg, since being docked at Chatham, undergone a careful survey at the bands of the master shipwr,ght's staff, has been found in such h generally rotten condition that ber repairs will detain her in dock some considerable lime longer than was originally anticipated. The exterior four inch planki❑g has been ripped off her sides, and the rotten condition of her timbers is easily perceptible. Although the Torch was only built some three or four years since, and has only been once in commission, many of her midship tim bers were found, on inspection, to be so rotten as to crumble to powder under the fingers. The Torch, it may be observed, is a contract•built vessel, and in this respect bears a remarkable contrast to the Cadmus, 21, built at Chatham dockyard, and now under repair in the adjoining dock to that in which the Torch is lying. Although constructed about 15 years ago, since which she has been in constant commission, the timbers of the Cadmus arc as sound es when cut in the dockyard, and no trace of decay can be detected. The required number of non-commissioned officers and men having been obtained for the survey com panies otßoyd Engineers, orders have been received at headquarters, Chathani,directing volunteering for that branch of the corps to be discontinued until further orders. The men who havo been transferred from the depot and other companies at headquarters to the survey companies have been put through e special course of instruction in topography, military drawing, and surveying at the schools attached to headquarters, in order to qualify them for the duties on which they will be engaged. The companies of Royal Engineers emp!oyed on the Ordnance survey are the 13th, 14q), 16th, and 19th. The 2d (Copt Franklin's) company of Royal En• gineers has received orders to embark fur the Mau ritius, to relieve the 25th company, which returns to headquarters, Chatham, after an absence from England of nine years. Capt. Alfred P. Ryder, Controller-General of the Coastguarcl,is appointed Aide •de. camp to the Queen, vice Cspt. Edgell, promoted to be Rear Admiral, The following appointments have been made at the Admiralty—Lieut. Berkeley G. A. Belson to the Formidable—John R. N. Moss, master, to the Asia—Henry N. Atleyne and Arthur C. Jenner. midshipmen, to the Racer—Arthur S. Leacock, G. C. Young, and Wm. N. M ,dan, midshipmen, to the Fawn—John Murdock, assist.-engineer, to the Ra coon—George J. 11. Hogg, master's assist., to the Racer—Joshua J. Gormally, clerk, to the Prince Consot t. The Case of Mr, Bewicke. The select committee report that, in their opinion, Mr. Bewicke is not entitled to any compensation out di the pub is purse. They are of opinion that, in order to 1.,:;7 any ground for a claim to such com- pensation, it WO ',Dcumbent upon Mr. Bewicke to prove that there had been a miscarriage of justice in his case, through the default of the persons charged with the administration of the law. And the committee, after careful inquiry, were satisfied that there was no such default. They are unable to secede to the proposition, that persons who have been convicted in due course of law by evidence subsequently proved to be false, are entitled to corn. ponsation out of the public purse ; but even if they could have acceded to such a proposition, there are circumstances in Ur, Bewicke's case that would have taken it out of such general rule ; Mr. Bewicke's own conduct, as admitted by hlusseif, having fur nished material evidence in support of the accusa tion against him, indepchdently of other facts de• posed to by witnesses of nntrelpeauhuble character. In the peculiar circumstances of the case they sug gest for the favourable consideration of the Crown, whether the full value 6f his goods and chattels at the time of the forfeiture should not bo uwged to him, minus the net produce of the side by auction, already voluntarily paid over to Mr. Bewicke by the commissioners. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANIES.-A return jC5t , presented to the House of Lords, on the motion of Lord Overstote, states that since the Joint-stock Companies Act of 1856 came into operation 3,830 limited liabili y com panies have been registered ; 938 of them have been wound up or are supposed to have been discontinued, leaving 2,892 still in operation. These companies proposed to make their shareholders liable for £129,103,622, that being the amount of their nominal capital. The following figures are greatly below the fact, the returns for the last 12 months not hav ing, been received in many cases, but it has been ascertained that there were 209,126 shareholders, that of the 42,085,078 shares into which the capital was divided 10,110,558 had been taken, and that calls amounting to £37,195,595 had been received. [aDVE . lITISEMENT —Holloway's Ointment and Pills : — Conclusive .. I :vidence.—Scarcely a d a y p asses w ithout leavin behind it some p roo f o f t h e curative powers of H o ll o way's world-esteemed Ointment and Pills. A lady writes from New 011erton, Notts, on March 7, 1861 :—" I beg leave to state that a f ew wee k s ago I had the misfortune to bruise my leg most s evere l y. T o my great surprise andinexpres sible delight your wonderful remedies were no sooner applied than they gave me ease, stopped inflammation, and made made a i perfect cure i n an i ncre dibl e s h ort time. " Testimonials such as the f orego i ng, w hi c h m i ght b e multiplied to an y extent, should conso l e the aftl,cted and give hope to the despairing when worn out by the maladies which seem unrelievable, SPIIIIT OF THE - PUBLIC JOURHALS. TIMES.---Yesterday both houses were crowded to hear the Ministerial el - planations which it was thought must folksy the important meeting of the Conference on Wednesday. Seldom has such anxiety been shown for the appearance of a Minis ter in his place as preceded the arrival of Lord Palmerston in the House of Commons ; seldom have the tedious gentlemen who begin the evening's business been listened to with more obvious demon strations of impatience. The curiosity of the public was, however, not destined to be fatly gratified. The Conference meets again to-morrow, and though it is known that at this meeting it is likely only to transact some formal buetness, the Govern ment is not at liberty to presume that negotiations are at an end. As long as the Conference lasts it is possible that some proposition may be made tend• ing to the restoration of peace, and it would be pre mature, therefore, to make any announeem-nt im plying that a final rupture has taken place. The crisis is so serious and the deliberations on which the Ministry must enter are so important that every one will rejoice that they have three or four days to consider their situation and their policy. The Cabi net will meet to-morrow, and on Monday next the Premier will lay on the table of the house the pro ceedings of the Conference, and will make a state ment on the important subjects which have occupied its attention. The country will then have anoppor tunity of judging how far its honour has been main tained in the past transactions, and how far the re commendations of the Government deserve its con fidence for the future. Of one thing, however, we Way, happily, be certain. The protocols of the Con ference we'l make known not only how constant and urgent have been the efforts of the British represen tatives to devise means for the preservation of peace, but also how greatly the foreign members of the Con ference, including those most opposed to our views, have valued and acknowledged the good faith and courtesy of our Government, Whatever may be the end of the negotiations, no one will charge us, and we shall not have to eharge ourselves, with any fault of the nature either of rudeness or of deceit. Our representatives have neither allowed their convic tions to hurry them into any bitterness of expression, nor their policy to lead them into any dissembling of their intentions. They have with perfect fairness and courtesy explained the principles on which they take their stand, and convinced every one, both ally and adversary, that their only desire has been to maintain the peace of Europe, and to pre vent, if possible, an ancient and respectable State from being despoiled in pursuance of theories which, if carried oat, would bring humiliation on the great German Powers themselves. We believe the Pfenie potentiaries of each State will be found ready to confess that if war, prolonged and embittered, is to be the fate of Northern Europe, the fault is not to be attributed to the counsels of our statesmen. As regards the foreign members of the Conference the opinion of our Government is equally favourable. They have, as far as they have exercised any inde pendent judgment, shown a tendency to discuss the proposals submitted to them in a fair and triendly spirit, and it is probable that had they been empowered to deliberate and decide, and. not re stricted to the communication of decisions made elsewhere, the result of the Conference might have been different. As it is, they have been delegates acting strictly under the instructions of statesmen who had come to a foregone conclusion on all the subjects in debate. They will separate with mutual good will and respect, though perhaps with no high notion of the advantages to be gained from such meetings as those in which they have played a decorous pert for the past few weeks. The German Plenipotentiaries will, however, be able to inform their Governments from personal observation that in no class of English society has thine been any animosity ag'.inst their country or any wish to humble it, but that the action of Government and people has been influenced only by a convict tion that the Danish Government was defending rights which it is for the general advantage to maintain. The Conference has failed ; but we think it really desired its own success, Tne time and labour may not have been wholly lost it some of its members carry beck to their own countries a conciliatory temper, which may have its consequences when they are placed in positions of more real power. However, all is over, and it is for Her Majesty's Government to decide what is the course now to be taken. In what way should a great nation act which finds that its efforts to restore peace among its neighbours have been made in vain ? For several months, by constant communication with both parties, by alternate advice and remonstrance, ny counsels that were generally wise, mingled here and there with expressions that may have been im prudent, the Government of this c oun t r y h as sought to hinder the deplorable events of which a new series will begin on Monday next. Both sides have lis tened to us with an outward show of respect, but have in the end followed the bent of their own in stincts and taken to war, because in war they have seen their best prospect of gaining their respective ends. The Germans would fight because a campaign gives them Schleswig; the Danes because they fancy that war, by calling others to their assistance, will give them the whole or part of the Duchy in absolute possession, while a continuance of the old relations without the Constitution of November would in no long time alienate Schleswig as much as Holstein, In the last act of this drama the situation of the leading personages is as strange as can be imagined. Prussia and Austria on the one side, and Denmark on the other, the invaders and the invaded, the tyrants and their victim, are found entirely agreed on the subjects in dispute. Each party rejects our scheme of arbitration, each natty desires to settle the matter by the sword. England addresses useless remonstrances to both, and to strengthen her pacific representation turns in vain to France and Russia, who on their part affect unconcern, and look on the unequal combat with a feeling no stronger than curiosity. This is, no doubt:, a most embarrassing position for a neutral Power which has pronounced strongly in favour Of peace. We find that the belligerents do not accept it, that the other neutrals are indifferent about it, and that the only way that we can promote it seems to be by going to war ourselves, and choosing as our ally one of the two parties who have rejected our pre sets. It is a matter that will call for all the delibe raton which the experienced statesmen at the head o f effairs can give it during the next three days. Whatever may be the duty of this country will, we feel sure, be readily undertaken by all classes; and her Majesty's Government need have no fear of lacking support in any measure which may be necessary to maintain the honour and interests of the nation or the general safety of Europe. If these be endangered by the contest which is to recom mence on Sunday, if the Government be really able to show Parliament that on the fields of Schleswig great English interests are at stake, whether mate rial or moral, there will be no unwillingness on the part of the nation to act with vigour. If assured on these points, Parliament would be bound seri ously to consider whether the policy of mediation which has been hitherto practised should be aban doned for one of a less peaceful character. This most weighty question, with all its momentous issues, we leave for the present to the Government, lieving that it will be time enough to discuss any proposal for a change of the national policy when that proposal has been made on the responsibility of the Cabinet. PosT.—For some time past numerous complaints have been made from year to year against the laws which regulate the registration of voters. Last autumn, while the revision courts were at work throughout the country, these complaints were more loud than usual. Thousands of voters in different districts, whose right to the franchise was round to be undoubted, were compelled to appear before the revising barrister under pain of losing their electoral privileges. In those counties, eepecially, where the two great political parties are pretty equally divided, the complaints of indignant electors were numerous beyond all precedent ; and the grievance was, in truth, not a light one, It is hard to have a right put iu jeopardy by the mere caprice of a political opponent, and to be put to the a:ternative of either losing it altogether, or of being obliged to defend it at much inconvenience, and often at considerable cost, The result is that thin policy of objecting to votes upon frivo h lo o u le s o to r insufficient grounds is found upon answer. Many persons will be always ehoefdoiwuongd their who omit to take the proper means l y o refuse to take the electoral rights. Some os o it a i d v v e ertence, fail to NM trouble ; others, throng and thus these speculative ply with the nquirementsiofothhieeeatciotnosf, Pasarltilleantte; 6tectioneerrHgfilto, aro turned p operly terOle.. to very good aceLnt in the annual battle of th t registration cotirot. Tt iA lrue aremedy. The question is not . without revising if satisfied that Et frivolous objection has made to any vote, may order the objector to pay beenba r rist er, costs to the amount of 20s. The inadequacy of this sum in cases of county voters is notorious. In order to defend his vote a min is often required to produce his title deeds, which are probably in the bands of his solicitor in the county town, or, it may be, in London. But wherever they may happen to be, and whatever may be their antiquity or their bulk, some one must be employed to bring them to the registration court, and 20s. is the utmost amount which their owner can recover in the shape , of cost s for any e x p ense h e may have incurred. 'There is another grievance connected with these objections which render them still more vexatious. The party whose right to vote is disputed has no means of as certaining the ground which his adversary means t: take until they are confronted in the whole court He must, therefore, come prepared at all points to defend his right, and the trouble and expense to which he is put mv thus tir considerably increased. Such are a few of the most prominent grievances to which the present system of registration gives rise, and which, after the lapse of two-and-twenty years, an attempt is now being made to remove. We allude to the Bill for the Amendment of the Registration of County Voters, introduced by Mr. Thdson, which, Vi 73 understand, will probably receive the sanction of the Legislature during the present session. Several of the provisions of this bill are intended to remedy the evils which we have shortly described. One section provides that all objections, with the exception of those officially made by the overseers, must "set forth in specific terms the ground, or several grounds, of objection" upon which it is intended to rely. And the same . section provid es t h at no person so o bj ecte d to s hall be required to defend his vote before the revision court upon any other point than that upon w elch he has received due notice. This would prove a serious check u p on t h e present vexatious system of objecting to votes upon frivolous grounds, or, as is very frequently the case, upon no grounds at all. Nor would it leave the bona fide objector the smallest ground of complaint, for it would be easy for him to state his true reasons, if be h ad any, for obj ect i ng to h i s neighbour ' s vote. The points to be discussed before the revising barrister would thus appear on the notice of ol4jection, and , these being at once disposed of, there would be as end of the case. No fishing questions would be allowed, with the view of detecting some flaw in an adversary's title, other than that set forth in th e notice which the latter has yeceived. Much irre levant and irritating discussion would be thug avoided, which, from the uncertainty at present at tending the nature of objections, is at times likely to arise. Another important provision, intended to protect county voters from needless annoyance, i 5 contained in the 22d section of the proposed bill. By this section any person whose vote has been objected to may make a declaration upon oath in answer to the grounds of objection alleged agains t it, and setting forth the facts upon which he relies. This declaration is afterwards to be transmitted to the clerk of the peace for the county, and notice of this fact is to be sent to the objector. If, not withstanding this declaration, and the reasons by which it is supported, the objector still persist in contesting the point, and he fails, the revising' barrister is to be empowered to make him par costs to the amount of £5 ; that is, five times the amount which io any case can et present be imposed. In ordinary cases in which the pair objected to has not made a declaration on 0 80 in answer to the notice of objection, but has simply appeared and defended his vote in the court of revision, the barrister is to be em powered to give costs to the extent of £3, if he is satisfied thut the objection is frivolous and vexatious- These provisions, and others to which we need not now refer, appear to be well calculated to protect voters from annoyances to which they are noW notoriously subject. It is also proposed to OA various additional duties upon the clerks of the peace and the overseers, which, we should imagine , will lead to a considerable incresse of expense. But considering that the present Registration Act toe been in force since the year 1842, we need not be surprised that it should now require amendment' Upon the whole it has not worked badly, otherwise it would not have remained so long unaltered. But experience has clearly shown that it may be made to cause much unnecessary annoyance to those for whose protection it was especially designed—we mean all bona 4de possessors of the franchise. We believe that the bill before the House of Common• will much diminish, it it does not remove, the exile that are now complained of. COUNTRY MARKETS. M ANCHESTER--THURSDAY. A somewhat better attendi3:nce at our market to-day, but English wheat was in shr,rt supply, and held for an ad vance of is to 2s per qr, whien checked sales, but a fair busing-ss occurred ht an improvement of is. American brought 2d per 1001 b over previous quotations. Flour was held for an amendment of is per saes, but only a limited business. Oats and oatmeal in steady demand at former rates. English and Egyptian beans were 6d dearer. la Indian corn also there was a rise of 6d. BURTON. ON.TR: A fair show of grain at our is ti 2s per qr. Old white wheat ..42s to 46s I New d o . 4!s to 46 s I Malting bar1ey....328 to 35s Grinding d0.....28s to 30s I ENT—THURSDAY. • market, and prices advaDred Old red wheat„ 37s to 40a New do. 3BB to 419 Oats, 198 to 28 9 348 to 429 BIR MINGHAM —THURSDAY. Thera was a fair supr',',y of English wheat at market t6' day, but the sale war , uull, and last week's prices were ad vanced is per qr. Barley was more inquired for. Beans and oats were held for fully late prices Peas rather dearer. —English wheat was sold at 40s to 443 for white, an d 36s to 423 per 36 s t one f or red, Barley, new malting, 30 3 to 383 per qr ; grinding, 24a to 26s Oats, old, 22s to 30s per 30 stone ; Irish, 18s to 245. Beans, 36s to 40s per qr. Peas, 34s to 38s per 36 stone. BRISTOL—THL - ItsnAy. A good supply of English wheat at market, for which farmers asked extravagant prices, hut on the sales effected the advance made was not over is to 2s per qr. Foreign wheat sold freely at is advance upon late quotations. Oats were in active request, and 6d d earer. G rinding barley . good demand at a stmilar advance. Beans and Indian corn were the turn higher in price. EDINBURGH GRAIN --JUNE 22. To. day there was a good supply of grain, which sad at about last week's prices. Wheat on the top Os 6d up ..... ....average Os 9d up. Barley on the top 3s Od down .average Os 5d down , Oats on the top 180 d down., average Os 4d down. , Beans on the top is Od down. average Os 2d up. Average Prices. Wheat........ . 4oa 5d 1 Oats. 2os IV, Barley .. ~,. 2Bs lld 1 Beans 353 Oa Total Supply and Sal es . Wheat .1224 qrs S o ld 981 qrs Barley... 22s qrs Sold 129 qrs Oats 1493 qrs Sold 1106 qrs Beans l.O qrs Sold 76 qrs Flour sells as follows :—Whites, 38s Od; extras, 365 Cd; superfine, 34s Od ; fine, 32s Od. Foreign Mail Packet List. MAILS DUE. Australia and Mauritius, via Southampton . June --** via Marseilles J uly 14. Brazil and Cape Verde, by British packet. July t'• Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena June 29 China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southauipton June--: via Marseille s June„ Falkland Islands Gibraltar, via Southampton ..... India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton Junc--,; via Marseilles June 2!: India (Bombay), via Southampton via Marseilles July 5 . Portugal.... ...... Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton June july via Marseilles Newfoundland .... June V , Oporto and Vig o U. S. and British N. America, by Brit. pack e t.... J un e 30' by U.S. packet.... by Canadi an pac k et. June 26. All parts of West Indies, including Chili, P eru, 2.5• California. and Briti,,l; Columbia.... I June FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT AT THE nicH3lo ls9 STATION.--Yesterday afternoon, about half-pest 3 o'clock, a shocking occurrence took place near the Richmond station of the Windsor branch of the London and South - Western Railway. A man, whose name is believed to be Smith, while attempting to cross the railway was knocked down by one of the down trains, the engine and carriages of which passed over his body and limbs, frighttully mangling the unfortunate man and causing instantaneous death. As sosn as the dreadful accident was perceived, tan remains of the poor fellow were removed from the spot where he was killed and taken to the dead house at Richmond to awaiC the coroner's inquest. The deceased, it is stated, was s foreman to a builder. This branch of the South•\Vesteru Railway has lately been singularly unfortunate with rgart.l to oLcurreaces of this kind. Births. BAnny.—On the 23d inst,, at Elthfield. Bromley-coraraW4 the wife of Charl es B arry, jun., , of a son.. L L orD.—O pr n the 21st inst,, at Sydenham, the wife of Capt. P croal PAPILLON urely, of a s on. -On the 22d inst„ at 1, Devonport-streeti HYde-park, the wif e of Phillip 0. Papillon, Esq., M.P. , of a son and heir. WESTPHAL.—O n the 22d inst., at Clifton Cottage, Tulle' hill, Mrs. W estphal, of a son. Diarriqes. MASSEY—FLETMER —..ba the 22d inst., at Saint MarY l Chapel, Norwich. Is' enjamin, fourth son of Richd.Massey• Esq , of Altrinchani, Cheshire, t o E mma, el d er d aug hter of Josiah Fletcher, Esq., of Norwich. TYSSEN—LOUSADA.—On the 21st inst., at Saint Nicbofat o Church, Sidmouth, Captain Tyssen, R.N., of Clanvilla Lodge, Hants, to Mary Jane, second daughter of Jolla B. Lousada, Esq., Peak House, Sidmouth, Devon. Deaths. CRADOCK.-0a the 17th inst., at his residence, Humber" stone-gate, Leicester, Sheldon Cradock, Esq., aged 56. CRAVEN.—On the 21st inst ,at 14, Park-street, Grosvenor' square, the Hon. F re d er i ca Keppel Craven, aged 52. GEARY.—On the 23d inst., at North-end, Fulham, Th° s° Geary, Esq , aged 94, JARMAN.—On the 21st inst., at 15, Belcrave. road, Hig h ' gate, Miss Anne Jarman, aged 69 KING. -0a the 21st inst., at Longfield Court, Kent, tha Rev. James King, rector of Longfield, aged 63, MATIIIAS.—On the 21st inst., at Southend, the Rev. Wi ll° Mathias, incumbent of Burtle, Somersetshire, aged 48. &Lulli.—On the 22d inst., at Norwich, Mrs. Michas' I Stark, of Lower Norwood, Surrey; aged 67. London : Primed and Prbtished by WILLIAM ANDHE 7,'S of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at ImE Sus Office .fin. ' l2 : Strand, ni the Precinct of the SaToy, n the coupty ii l tltiliglex.-_-FIVAY. June 21,1864.